The 2013 NFL draft begins April 25 in New York City. / Jason DeCrow, AP

by Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports

by Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports

The former Marine whose agent said he was re-enlisting in the military because of the Boston Marathon attack says he has yet to officially file his papers and had already been planning to rejoin the service before Monday's incident.

Brandon O'Brien, a long-shot NFL prospect, told Beyond Sports Network that there was miscommunication with his agent, Brad Berkowitz, who said O'Brien would re-enlist because recent events "left a big hole in his heart."

In reality, O'Brien says he already had given up on the football dream.

"I did some soul searching and realized that I was put here to help people and not play professional football," he told Brian Skinnell. "The military is a passion of mine and it is something I hold close to my heart and love to be a part of."

What our original post tried to downplay should have been clear: Brandon O'Brien wasn't going to make an NFL roster. He was a 30-year-old former Kentucky walk-on who had been out of the sport for 10 years before resuming his career at an NAIA school in Montana. His numbers there weren't anything special. His unofficial 40-yard dash times were mediocre. No NFL team was going to touch him. He was passing up something that already had passed him by.

This takes nothing away from his past and future military service.

"I've heard that a lot of veterans think that this is a publicity stunt and this is the complete opposite," O'Brien said. "I don't want the media attention for my decision to go back into the military. It's not about that. It's about doing what I feel is right and that is to follow my heart and protect my country."